title: Clinical implications of stem cell gene Oct-4 expression in breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the expression of stem cell genes in breast cancer and the relationship between stem cell gene expression and clinical and pathological characteristics and prognosis of breast cancer.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  By now, stem cell differentiation-related genes and the relationship between the genes and clinic-pathological characteristics and prognosis of breast cancer are still unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  CD44+/CD24- tumor cells were selected by Flow cytometry. The differential expression of genes between CD44+/CD24- tumor cells and non-CD44+/CD24- tumor cells were detected by RT(2) Profiler™ PCR Array. The expression of stem cell gene Octamer-4 (Oct-4) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry staining and the relationship between Oct-4 and clinicopathological parameters of breast cancer was determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven different genes including stem cell differentiation-related factors (CD44, Oct-4, and nestin), cell cycle regulators (APC and CDC2), and growth factors (HGF and TGF) were detected as significantly differently expressed between CD44+/CD24- tumor cells and non-CD44+/CD24- tumor cells. Oct-4 protein expressed significantly higher in cancerous tissues than adjacent-tumor tissues (P = 0.001). Moreover, we observed that the expression of Oct-4 protein was related to histological type, lymph node status and molecular type of breast cancer (P = 0.001, 0.006, and 0.001, respectively). After survival analysis, the cases with highly expressed Oct-4 protein attained a significantly poorer postoperative disease-specific survival than those with none/low expressed Oct-4 protein (P = 0.001). In the Cox regression test, tumor size, histological type, disease stage, lymph node metastasis, Her-2 and Oct-4 were detected as the independent prognostic factors (P = 0.031, 0.012, 0.001, 0.002, 0.030, and 0.003, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oct-4 was highly expressed in CD44+/CD24- tumor cells, and may be a potential biomarker for the initiation, progression, and differentiation of breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, General surgery, the first hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Cai-gang
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Bin-bin
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yan-jun
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Rui-shan
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Huimian
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D051927:CD24 Antigen / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000235:genetics; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000235:genetics*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D051927:CD24 Antigen; C497889:CD24 protein, human; C497483:CD44 protein, human; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; C494173:POU5F1 protein, human